"The staff is very caring and they know the importance of a child's life, and the activities keep me well-grounded because I've been going there so much," he said.

It's also an incentive, he said, that "I just really like working with kids."

Tulafale's dedication to the club earned him the club's Hawai'i State Youth of the Year award, which came with a $1,000 scholarship and the opportunity to represent Hawai'i in a regional competition earlier this year. The scholarship will go toward his study of medicine on the Mainland, where he is eyeing the University of Southern Oregon.

Tulafale also received the 2003 Westside Youth Festival's Governor's Award from Gov. Linda Lingle for his community service.

Tulafale began attending the Wai'anae clubhouse at age 6, when his uncle and guardian, Henderson Kiaha, began working there.

Eleven years later, Tulafale still spends about 20 hours a week there, but while he plays in the game room and in the computer lab, he spends much of his time helping the younger members, serving as both a mentor and a tutor. "I mainly assist the director in the various areas of the Boys and Girls Club," he said.

For instance, he participates as an "employee" for the club's banking program that rewards younger kids for doing their homework, good report cards and other accomplishments. Tulafale helps the others train on a 10-key machine and fill out deposit slips, while he develops his own banking skills.

He is also president of the Leaders in Training program and the representative and spokesman for his clubhouse's branch board.

Tulafale is also active at school, serving as a senior class representative on the student council and playing percussion in the school band. In previous years he also played varsity volleyball and served as a peer mentor for younger students.

"I like being involved in things and helping the community," he said.

Who helped you? "Mainly my family and mostly my Uncle Henderson (Kiaha) and my Auntie Susana," Tulafale said, explaining that they raised him after his parents divorced when he was 6. Tulafale helped them take care of his five younger brothers.

Do you have any advice for other kids who might want to follow your example? "Don't take things for granted, work hard and take things while they're available," he advises.